Glass furnace



June 9, 1925. ,541,772

J. J, QUERHNMONT GLASS FUMAC@ gvwlentoi 6%@ @Mfg wmf,

Patented June 9, 1925.

JULES J. QUERTINMONT, 0F POINT MARION, PENNSYLVANIA.

GLASS FURNCE.

Application led February T0 all whom vit may @on cern:

Be it known that {,JULEs J. QUERTIY- MoN'r, a citizen of the United States, resid--H ing at Point Marion. inthe county of 'Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improve" ments in Glass Furnaces,A of which the tollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in, glass furnaces, which are particularly adapted toconstantly and uniformly sup- Vply molten glass of a homogeneous texture` and Vfluidity to a series or battery of incchanical continuous sheet glass drawingr machines.

In prior `glass furnaces used in conjuncA tion with a battery 0r series of sheet `glass drawing machines as shown for example iu S. patent to Fourcault, No. 837,821, dated Dec. ,4, 1906, the sheets of glass usually -drawn from the last or two last drawingr machines are at times a Vtotal loss duc to much breakage and inferior grade ot glass caused by the inequality of temperature and lack of uniform texture of the molten glass at 'each side of and passing,r into the iloatcr or debiteuse used in conjunction with the drawing machines operating in the said last ydrawing chambers. This defective operation of the last drawing machines has been v found to be due` first,'that as the. molten glass Hows from the melting7 furnace through the several drawing andireheatingrv v chambers its lower strata lis not directlyl heated by the reheating gases in the relienting chambers, and secondly, said lower strata moves more slowly than its top or intermediate portions or stata andv hence cools more rapidly, and in llassing through the reheating` `chambers said lower strata' cannot be reh'eated withoutunnecessarily' and dangerously increasing: the temperature and destroying the proper drawing qualities of the top Astrata or port-ion of the molten glass flowingr directly into lthe floater or debiteuse, and as the lowest portion or strata -of the moving molten and slightly chilled glass arrives at the last drawing chamber and its movement is checked and cooled by the outer wall of' the last dran ing chamber, said chilled glass mixes with "the hotter molten glass or the upper or inand 7, i925. erl No. 7,650.

this defect of prior lglass furnaces of the character referred to, an auxiliaryT or sep arate and indcpendi'nit heating chai-uber having no communication with the melting; furnace cr drawing tank and containing no met ten glass has `been arranged adjacent to the last drawirp' chamber or chambers, which heating chamber is provided with a heatimgr wall adjacent to and forming a part of the outer wall ot' the last drawing cliamber, and said heating wall extends from the iop t`o` the extreme bottoni of the last draw* ing chamber so as at all times correctly reheat by a controlled temperature and properly revitalize all ot the dil'l'erent strata of the chill i molten ,glass in tlie'iast drawing chamber and insure a feeding' of molten glass to the. las-i' iloatcr or flebi'tense naivin; if the saine goed drawing epialities ascxist in the other and eiiicient drawingr chambers.

The objects of the invention are:

First, to construct and arrange the elements of a glass tornate of the above character which will be simple and conrpact in construction` cheap to manufacture and maintain in operation. all ot the parts readily accessible and easily inspected or repaired, and at the same time occupy a ininimum of floor space in proportion to the number of sheet ,glass drawing machines supplied with molten `glass.

Second, to construct glass furnace capable of supplying' a battery of niechanical sheet glass drawing machines in such a nianner that the molten glass will at all times be pure and unadulte `ated, and ot such consistency, temperature and fluidity as to be constantly and'uniforinly [lowing or moi/ingr towards all the drawing machines without said molten glass vitritying or as suine any other condition which would tend to destroy the constant, proper and eficient operation of all said machines. l

Third, to construct a glass furnace hai-w ing a drawing tank consisting of drawing reheating chambers alternately arranged and adapted to be used in Conjunction with a battery of mechanical continuous sheet glass drawing machines; in which the relieating oi the molten glass in the drawing tank ai' ter leaving the melting fun nace and the drawing chambers is so Dirf arranged and. carried outv that the texture, temperature and fluidity of the molten glass is preserved to its `lull depth and on each side of the ioater or debiteuse in the last lill) of the drawing chambers, notwithstanding said molten glass has previously passed through another or plurality of drawing chambers. 1

Fourth, to construct a glass furnace of the character indicated in which a separate and independent 'heating chamber is provided at each end of the drawing tank, said heating chamber adapted to so co'operate with its end or last drawing chamber as to fully control thc heating or revitalizing of the molten glass in said end or`last drawing chamber and insure the molten glass in the last or end drawing chamber to be of uni- Yform texture and temperature and proper fluidity to the extreme Y bottom or lowest portion. width and length of the last drawing chamber, .vhereby the molten glass passing in the fioater or debiteuse2 of the last drawing chamber is not in any way chilled, stale, or vitritied and capable of being properly drawn into a sheet of glass having as uniform a. texture, color, high lust-re and brilliancy as is produced from the other drawing chambers.

Fifth, to so construct a glass furnace of :he character indicated in which the parts are so arranged that after the raw materials have been thoroughly miXed and in a highly heated or fused .condition in the melting furnace, the heated or fused glass is capable of pass-ing through specially constructed and arranged chambers to properly temper or reheat said heated glass before entering the floater or debiteuse in the several drawing chambers of the t Iliving tank or tanks and withdrawn therefrcl'n by the mechanical sheet glass drawing machines.

Sixth, other objects and advantages of the improved glass furnace will appear from the detailed description of the construction and arrangement of. thc parts and mode of operation to be hereinafter given.

The invention consistsolt structural characteristics and relative arrangements of elements which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

in the drawings in which similar refer ence characters indicate the same parts in the several figures,

Figure 1 is aA top plan view of the fun nace partly broken away or in section, and

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line l-ll of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, 10 isthe primary or melting furnace located at one end while at the other end is formed or provided an elongated and narrow drawing 'tank 11, rhich is subdividedY into a series or plurality of alternately arranged reheating rlmmbcrs 12 and {li-aiming` chambers 13 and i4. clearly shown in Fig. 2, said reheatl ing .himbers l2 and drawing chambers 13 and 1:1 are separated by walls 15 having openings 16 at their bottom sections to place the adjacent reheating chambers 12 and drawings chambers 13 and 14 in communication with each other at their lower portions and permit the molten glass to pass or progressively flow from the melting furnace 1() through the drawing chambers 13 and re heating chambers 12 to the outer or end drawing chambers 141-14 which are the last chambers in the path of the flow oi` the molten glass, and the outer reheating wall 151 of each end drawing chamber 14 is imperforate in order to vretain the molten glass within said drawing chamber 14 and said wall 151 extends to the bottom of. said chamber 14 to permit the reheating or revitalizing, of the lowest strata of molten glass in the end drawing chamber 14 for purpose to be presently described. o

Each of said drawing chambers 13 and 14 is provided with a supplying float or debiteuse 17. as shown for example, in U. S. Patent No. 839,822 to Fourcault, dated Dec. 4, 1906, or .preferably of a type as described in my recently allowed U. S. application filed August 2, 1922, Serial Number 729,7 83, said floats or debiteuse7 17 being so arranged and disposed to properly feed the molten glass to the several sheet glass drawing machines 18, 18, supported on the walls or arches 15, 15, which draw the continuous sheet glass sections 1 9, 19, as i1- lustrated in 2, said drawing machines 18, 18, are preferably of the construction disclosedin said Foureaults U. S. Patent No. 837,821 and form no part of the present.

invention. l

At eachend of the drawing tank 11 and uarranged in vjuxtaposition or adjacent to each of said end drawing chambers 14, 14, is provided a separate and independent heating chamber 20 which is disconnected from the melting and drawing tanks vand so constructed and arranged to confine highly heated gases whose temperature is under absolute control` and adapted to convey said controlled heat tol and through the full width and depth of the end wall 151 and in turn reheat or revitalize the partially chilled or cooled lower strata of molten glass within said end drawing chamber 14 after having previously passed from the melting.,r furnace 10, along the bottoms of the drawing chambers 13 and 14' and reheating chambers 12.I

The melting furnace 10 and drawing tank 11 are preferably separated and connected y -by a cooling, tempering or repeating pas' sageway 21, said passageway 21 communicantv rials or batch used to produce the glass, while the rear end of said melting furnace 10 is arranged with a floater 23 to skim or prevent any impurities on the surface of the molten glass'from passing into the passageway 21, said floater 23 being a common expedient in glass furnaces and needs no further explanation. 24 is a loater so located and arranged for skimming and removing any impurities from the cooled or tempered molten glass before the same enters the drawing tank 11, and while l prefer to use and arrange said fioaters 23 and as shown and described, the same may be omitted or other expediente for this purpose may be substituted.

The melting furnace 10 is also provided with the usual gas and air mixing chambers 25, 25, arranged on each side of the furnace 10 as showin,l said mixing chambers being connected Vith well known regenerators, and gas is supplied from the mains 26, 26, and distributed or supplied by the branch l pipes 27, 28 having valves 29 for controlling the mixture of gas and air passing through the openings 30, 30 and burned within the melting furnace 1() said generator conM stru/ction and disposition of gas and air chambers 25 with connected regenerators for supplying the necessary fuel and heat ed air to the melting furnace 1() may be varied in many ways, as will be readily understood, and While I prefer to employ the arran ement herein illustrated, and snown and isclosed in my former U. S. Patent No. 1,130,536, dated Mar. 2, 191 the same may be varied to suitv the particular' locality and condition? under which the furnace is to be operated.

The tempering or reheating passageway 21 may be provided with suitable air and gas `chambers 31, 8i, and the reheating chambers 12, 12 o' the tank 11 and end independent heating chaume-rs 30, 2) with air and gas chambers 32, S2. similar to and smaller than the chambers 2:3, 25, used in connection with me-hing furnace l() and arranged to receive their supply of gas, as shown in Fig. 1, Ifrom the mains 33, 33, by means of branch 34, E15 having oonnecting pipes 36 or 37 provided with vvalves 38 and 39 for controlling the supply of gas into said chamliiers 31 and as will he readily understood and for purposes to be presently described.

The parts of the furnace being constructed and arranged as disclosed, the manner in which the same operate is as follows:

After the melting or primary furnace 10 has been properly heated up, and the various raw materials introduced therein through the charging openingr :Z2 have been thor oughly 'mixed and fused into molten glass of the proper temperature, llulflity and homogeneity, said ghz-ss passes under the floater 23 into the tempering or cooling conduit or passageway 21 and progressively flows under the floater 24 into the right and left branchesot the drawing tank 11. Said molten glass then first passes into the drawing chambers 13, 123, then through the reheating chambers l2, l2 and finally into thi` end or last drawing chambers 14, 14. As said molten glass passes through the floater or debiteuse in said drawing chambers 1li and 14 the molten glass is drawn up by the drawing machines 18. 1S, into sheets 19, 19, `as shownin Fig. 2, and more particularly described in l". S. Patent No. 837,821, to Fourcault, and needs no further disclosure and forms no part of the present invention.

As the molten glass moves from the melt.

ingvti'lrnace l0 through the tempering conduit or passageway 21 and through the drawing tank 1l into the several drawing chambers 13 and 14 and reheating chambers 12, the bottom strata or lowest portion of the molten glass is cooled and loses its heat faster than the intermediate and top strata or portions, owing to it moving more slowly and coming in Contact with the bottom fire brick, and said lowest portion or strata of the moving molten glass cannot be reheated -in the reheating chambers 12, 12, without unnecessarily and dangerously increasing the temperature anddestroying the proper drawing qualities of the top portion or strata of the molten glass in said reheating chambers and passing into the tloaters or debiteuse in the drawing chambers 14, 14. As said intermediate or bottom portions 0r strata of the molten glass arrive at the heating wall 151 they gradually and properly take up the stored up heat in said wall 151 and maintained by the heating chamber 20, and the layers of the molten glass throughout the last drawing chambers 14, 14, will be therefore reheated and entirely revitalized to their proper temperatures and original fluidity and drawing qualities with which they entered the drawing tank 11 and chamber 13, in order to produce sheets of glass of high lustre, brilliancy, and uniform and homogeneous texture throughout the entire battery of drawing machines operating from the series of drawing chambers.

From the foregoing disclosure ot' the construction and operation of the invention, it will be seen that the temperatures and differences of the temperatures of the upper, intermediate and lowest layers or strata of the moving molten glass at the point where said glass initially leaves the melting tank 1() or tempering passageway 21 and enters the drawing` tank 11, and the di'erences of the temperatures of the layers or strata at intermediate points, and more specially at the last drawing chamber 14 have been eliminated by means of the heat conveyed and radiated by the heating wall 151. and

iao

maintained b v the heating chamber 20, and said chamber 20 comprises a most important, reliable, compact and casiljv ,installed adjunct t6 the furnace structure, and all the objects and advantages recited in the statement of invention have been fully and efficiently carried out by said heating chamber 20, and while l have shown and described the preferred form of the same, it vill be readilv understood that .many cha ges or variations of said chamber 2l) will readily suggest theniselves without in any way depart-ing from the present invention or evading the scope of the claims.

It will also be readilyv understood that molten glass may be supplied to or melted in the heating chamber 20. if so desired and as shown for example in the heating chamber at the left end of Fig. 2. Said molten glass remaining in said chamber 2O and not being drawn into sheets or capable of How` ing into any of the drawing chambers 13 orl 1.4-, thus enabling` said molten glass in said chamber Q0 to not only act as a brace or retainer to the heating wall 151 to equalize the pressure of the molten glass in the drawing chamber 14 on the other side of said wall 151` but also to uniformly and completely distribute the heat in the heating chamber 20 to all parts of the wall 151.

What I claim is:

1. A glass furnace for drawing continuous sheets of glass, comprising a melting furnace, a drawing tank communicating with said melting furnace and divided into a series of alternating drawing and reheating chambers in communication with each other and the melting furnace, and terminating with a drawing chamber, a separate and independent heating chamber adjacent to the end drawing chamber and not in mmmunication with said drawing tank or melting furnace to revitalize the chilled molten glass passing into the end drawing chamber.

2. A glass furnace for drawing continuous sheets of glass, comprisipg a melting furnace, a drawing tan; communicating with said melting furnace and vdivided into a series of alternating drawing and reheating chambers and tcri'ninating with ay drawing chamber, a separate and independent heating chamberI adjacent to the end drawing chamber and not in communication Awith said drawingr tank or melting furnace to revitalize the chilled molten glass passingr into the end drawing chamber and Walls separating the reheating and drawing chan'ibers and having openings permitting the molten glass to pass from the melting furnace to the drawing chambers through said reheating chambers.

f. A glass furnace for drawing continuous sheets of glass, comprising a melting,

lend drawing chambers.

furnace, an elongated drawing tank comniunicating t l-tantially at is middle por tion with said melting furnace and divided into a series of alternating drawing and reheating chambers in communication with cach other and the melting furnace and terminating at each of itsl ends with a drawing chamber` a separate and independent heating' chamber at each end of said draw ing tank and adjacent to the end drawing chamber and not in communication with said drawing tank or melting furnace to revitalize the chilled molten glass passing into the end drawing chambers.

4. A glass furnace for drawing continuous sheets of glass, comprising a melting furnace, a tempering conduit or passageway connected to said melting furnace, a drawing tank communicating with said tempering conduit and divided into a series of alternating drawing and reheatinfr chambers. in communication with each other and the tempering conduit and terminating at each of' its ends with a drawing tank, a separate and independent heating chamber at each end of said drawing tank and adjacent to the end drawing chamber and not in communication with said drawing tank or tempering conduit to 'revitalize the chilled molten glass passing into the end drawing chambers.

5. A glass furnace for drawing continuous sheets of glass` comprising a melting furnace, a tempering conduit or passage-- way connected to said melting furnace, an elongated straight drawing tank communieating substantiall;Y at its middle portion with said tempering conduit and divided into a series of alternating drawing and reheating chambers in communication with each other and the melting furnace and terminating at each of its ends with a drawing chamber, a separate and independent heating chamber at each end of said drawing tank and adjacent to the end chamber and not in communication with said drawv ing tank or tempering conduit to revitalize the chilled molten glass passing into the 6. A glass furnace for drawing continuu ous sheets of glass, comprising a melting,r furnace, a drawing tank communicating with said melting furnace and divided into a series of alternating drawing and reheating chambers in communication with each other and the melting furnace and terminating with a drawing chamber having au outer heating wall. and a separate and independent heating chamber adjacent to and adapted to heat said heating wall and not in f :ommunication with said drawing tank.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aiiix my signature.

JULES l J. QUERTINMON T. 

